Sports & Recreation

Best Local MMA Fighter St. Louis 2011 - Lance Benoist

Local fighter Lance Benoist has just broken into the big leagues of mixed martial arts. After racking up sixteen wins and no losses as an amateur fighter, Benoist made the jump to pro on January 30, 2010. He won his first fight in just 53 seconds, after submitting his opponent via triangle choke. Since then, Benoist has racked up four more first-round victories, all of which were TKO or submission. The brass at the Ultimate Fighting Championships took notice and signed the undefeated welterweight to a multi-fight contract. A 23-year-old Festus native, Benoist holds a purple belt in Brazilian jiujitsu under Rodrigo Vaghi. Instructor and coach Mike Rogers describes Benoist as a very aggressive fighter who's extremely tough. The future looks bright indeed.